Chapter 1

Chapter 1

◎ The Curse of the Female Ghost ◎

"You foul Taoists! You can't distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong! You never gave me justice while I was alive, and now you're trying to exterminate me after my death!"

"You shout about upholding heavenly justice, but what you do is no different from those heartless scumbags!"

In an unfinished, abandoned building, a cold wind swirled fiercely, piercing to the bone, whether it touched a person or a ghost.

The female ghost, her dress stained red with ghostly aura, was bound in mid-air by yellow paper and red talismans. The blood-red cinnabar on the talismans emitted faint spiritual light.

Each time the spiritual light flared, the female ghost trapped in mid-air emitted a heart-wrenching wail, accompanied by curses filled with deep hatred, echoing through the overgrown, derelict building.

Opposite the female ghost, a young man with a ponytail slightly lowered his eyes, unmoved by the curses ringing in his ears. His fingers moved swiftly and steadily, forming hand seals. With a flip of his palm, a talisman charged with the power of lightning appeared in his hand.

A bolt of lightning flashed, illuminating the dark, unfinished building for a moment, revealing the man and the ghost facing each other.

The young man paused slightly, raising his eyes to look at the female ghost trapped in the formation.

Her blood-red dress, infused with intense ghostly aura, fluttered wildly. Her resentment, brimming with unwillingness, surged into the sky, stirring the dark clouds above the derelict building.

Looking at the fully-formed vengeful spirit before him, Ji Yuanting's last trace of compassion faded. Humans have their path, and ghosts have theirs. Since she had taken the wrong path, she would have to pay the price.

The female ghost seemed to realize that she truly couldn't escape this calamity. Her greatest enemy remained alive, her vengeance unfulfilled. Hatred surged anew, and she unleashed all her ghostly aura, disregarding the bone-deep pain caused by the talismans.

She gazed at the young yet skilled Taoist before her and revealed a ferocious smile.

"Even if my soul is dispersed, even if I never enter the cycle of reincarnation, I will curse you all! I curse you all to meet horrible deaths!!!"

The vengeful spirit's curse, filled with powerful hatred, shot into the sky.

Another deafening thunderclap resounded.

Below the unfinished building, a young man dozing in a car parked by the roadside was startled awake by the loud thunder. His slightly elongated phoenix eyes slowly opened, the corners faintly reddened from sleep, slightly dispelling the icy aloofness that typically surrounded him.

The young man's skin was extremely pale, like flawless mutton fat jade. His eyes were deep black, and his long, thick eyelashes gave him a delicate, fragile appearance, as if the slightest touch could shatter him.

This young man, with his cold and fragile demeanor, was actually the one who had driven the vengeful spirit upstairs into a corner.

Lightning flashed within the dark clouds, and the clash between the talisman's power and the intense ghostly aura upstairs created a huge commotion. The surrounding trees were battered by the strong wind, as if they might be uprooted.

Ji Nanxing sat up slightly. Even though he had only napped for ten minutes, he felt a bit more refreshed.

His slender, pale fingers rested on the car door. Just as he was about to push it open and finish off the vengeful spirit in one go, the commotion upstairs completely subsided.

The wind stopped, and the churning dark clouds calmed.

Pausing for a moment, Ji Nanxing withdrew his hand and looked up at the slowly dispersing clouds. Something flickered in his deep, dark eyes before they returned to their usual calm.

At the same time, a faint chill descended from nowhere, scattering onto him.

Ji Nanxing knew this was the power of the curse, the vengeful energy unleashed by the ghost as she faced her soul's destruction.

With a casual wave of his hand, the cold, ghostly aura instantly dissipated.

As Taoists, whether capturing or killing, they had dealt with many ghosts. Among so many spirits, few were willing to be sent away peacefully.

Curses formed from such resentment were not uncommon, and dispelling them was as simple as a wave of the hand.

Soon, Ji Yuanting came downstairs. The young man had his long hair tied back and wore an expensive high-end suit, though a slightly worn ritual rope wrapped around his hand clashed with his runway-ready demeanor.

Ji Nanxing rolled down the car window and looked at the young man: "Senior Brother."

Ji Yuanting glanced at him sideways and walked straight to the driver's seat, opening the door and getting in.

Ji Nanxing couldn't help but yawn, his eyes instantly filling with moisture. His cold, delicate face suddenly looked a bit more adorable, softening the irritation in Ji Yuanting's heart.

The stern words he had been about to say softened: "You dare to take on a vengeful spirit of that level? How old are you? How many times have you dealt with vengeful spirits with Master? Do you think you're ready?"

Ji Nanxing smiled and tugged at his senior brother's sleeve, showing a hint of affectionate pleading: "When I took on this case, she wasn't a vengeful spirit yet. Who knew she would grow so quickly?"

Ji Yuanting snorted and pulled his sleeve back: "Then why didn't you call for help earlier? If I hadn't come looking for you after not seeing you for days, were you planning to handle it alone?"

Ji Nanxing, seeing him start the car, quickly sat up and fastened his seatbelt, explaining: "I've already dispersed a lot of her ghostly aura these past few days. It's just that she's too cunning and never fought me head-on. Otherwise, I could have won."

It might not have been as easy as his senior brother made it look, but given his age and experience, it was normal for him to be less skilled.

Ji Yuanting knew that his junior brother could handle the vengeful spirit, but the kid was only sixteen. When faced with trouble, calling for help was the right thing to do. If he tried to handle everything himself, what was the point of having elders?

But as his senior brother, he also understood his junior brother's personality—independent and proud. He would never trouble others with things he could handle himself. Though he appeared cold and distant, his heart was warm, and he deeply cared for his family and friends.

After a few more admonitions and hearing Ji Nanxing promise to call for help when needed, Ji Yuanting finally let it go.

Ji Nanxing breathed a small sigh of relief. His senior brother was just too caring, but that was to be expected. He had been both father and mother to him since childhood, so worrying about him had become a habit.

Ji Yuanting glanced at the time: "You haven't been resting well these past few days. It's still early; you can sleep a bit more."

Ji Nanxing took his senior brother's laptop from the back seat, opened the official website, and logged into his account: "I'll finish writing the case report."

They were considered public servants, working for the state in a special department that handled supernatural cases ordinary people rarely encountered. They could also take on private jobs.

Though only sixteen, Ji Nanxing's talent was exceptional. He was born with spiritual eyes, a rarer gift than the typical yin-yang eyes that could see ghosts.

Despite a troubled fate, he was fortunate to be adopted by his master, who brought him into the Taoist path and saved his life. To ensure he lived longer, he needed to accumulate merit.

Thus, even before adulthood, Ji Nanxing was already earning a salary, with social security and housing funds in place. People with Taoist abilities were rare, and someone with his talent was a key focus for cultivation.

The official website had a public-facing side that appeared to be a normal news site, but once logged in, the content was entirely different.

It listed suspected or confirmed supernatural events across regions and had a task platform. Registered Taoists, Buddhists, and even unaffiliated but registered individuals with special abilities could access information and accept tasks through the site.

When Ji Nanxing took on this task, it was only rated C-level. But in just a few days, the situation escalated, and the task was upgraded to A-level. Fortunately, it was resolved successfully.

Opening his ongoing task list, Ji Nanxing clicked to close the case. The page quickly jumped to the section for filling in details.

Thinking of the female ghost, Ji Nanxing paused for a long time before typing out her name.

Hu Xiaodie, female, 28 years old, from Baoli City, single and unmarried.

Hu Xiaodie's life had been one of misfortune.

The town she was born in was still very poor over twenty years ago. Many places didn't even have proper roads, let alone cars. One night, her mother's water broke before her due date. Her father hurriedly rode a tricycle to take her to the hospital. Due to an emergency with the umbilical cord wrapped around the baby's neck, the delivery switched from natural to a C-section. Not having enough money, her father rushed back home to get more.

That was the last time Hu Xiaodie saw her father.

At dawn, her father was found in a field, his tricycle mangled, his body stiff on the ridge. The old, broken road had no surveillance, and the hit-and-run driver was never found.

Born without a father, in a still somewhat closed-off small town, Hu Xiaodie's existence symbolized misfortune. She was seen as a jinx, even her mother struggling to accept her.

Although her mother didn't abandon her completely, Hu Xiaodie's mother almost never cared for her. She was neither fed nor comforted. It was her elderly grandmother, who cherished her as the only descendant of her son, who raised her sporadically until she was three.

When Hu Xiaodie was three, her grandmother passed away, and she moved with her remarried mother to a new home. Soon after, her mother had another daughter, and Hu Xiaodie became the unwanted one in the family.

So neglected that by the age of five, she had already learned to wash clothes and cook. So neglected that by eight, she still hadn't been to school. So neglected that her stepfather would often beat and scold her, her own mother would turn a blind eye, and her half-sister would mimic the adults, treating her like a servant, even riding her like a horse, cutting her hair, tearing her clothes, and using sharp objects to jab her or hot items to burn her.

If it weren't for compulsory education, Hu Xiaodie might never have had the chance to go to school.

After graduating from middle school with excellent grades, the end of compulsory education meant she could no longer continue her studies, and she was forced to drop out and start working.

The work was tough, but it was an escape from her hellish home life.

Blood ties are a strange thing—filled with hate yet hard to completely cut off, especially as her life began to stabilize while working away from home. The hate lingered but was somewhat softened by time. Over the years, Hu Xiaodie never went back home but sent money to her mother every year, thinking that this way, she was being fair to both herself and her conscience.

After many years of working, Hu Xiaodie had saved up some money by living frugally. She wanted a home of her own, and when the chance came, she gritted her teeth and put a down payment on a house.

The monthly mortgage payments were a struggle, and her life became even more frugal, but watching her future home slowly come together gave Hu Xiaodie a sense of stability. She had a home, even if it was tiny, and she no longer had to drift; life would improve.

The house gave her the confidence to face life head-on. When her mother reached out, saying her sister was getting married and asking her to come back, Hu Xiaodie felt she had the courage and ability to return to the place she had once fled. She returned.

Her sister's marriage was real, but the trick to get her to come back was also real. Her stepfather, acting like a trafficker, took advantage of her return, accepting a large dowry to marry her off to a divorced man with a violent streak.

There are too many dark corners in this world; not every place respects laws or human rights.

A girl who had been oppressed for years and always gave in without even a fight, that day, she fled the village again, knife in hand, blood-stained. The last thread of blood connection was severed the day she fought back with the knife.

She thought it didn't matter; she would never return, she would no longer have a mother. From then on, she would be her own family. She had a home; she was not homeless.

But before she could emerge from this hatred and blow to face life again, her world collapsed once more.

The house she had poured all her resources into buying had become a stalled project.

Author's Note:

The story begins! If you haven't read the pre-reading reminders on the synopsis, please do so.

This is a long novel. Those who have read my previous two supernatural stories should know that this genre tends to be lengthy.

The theme combines campus life with the supernatural, but not all events occur at school. Due to the length, characters and plots will unfold gradually.

The story has more plot than romance. Feel free to point out any shortcomings; although I'm sensitive, I can take friendly advice.

Updates are at 9 PM every night, with prior notice for any delays!